Digital Realty Trust is to provide customers with free access to clean energy, as part of the company’s plans to encourage greener practices in the data centre industry.
Under the latest Clean Start Programme, customers who sign qualified leases for space in any Digital Realty location will automatically receive renewable energy certificates (RECs) for free.
"The Clean Start Programme will redefine the way the data centre industry approaches sustainable energy," Digital Realty’s director of sustainability Aaron Binkley said.
"Our goal is to give clients an effortless path to procure clean, renewable energy for their data centres, and to take a leadership role in reducing the environmental footprint for the data centre industry."
After the first year of the lease term, clients can pay to continue receiving clean energy credits through the programme, or opt out, Digital Realty said.
Binkley added: "Our clients want cost-effective access to clean energy, without the heavy lifting. With the Clean Start? Programme, all clients signing eligible leases will be auto-enrolled in the programme and will receive access to renewable energy certificates – for clean power generated by wind, solar, geothermal, or biomass power plants – without any incremental cost."
"We’ve eliminated the obstacles for our clients to make smarter decisions about energy consumption in the data centre, which we expect will result in greater adoption of more sustainable practices."
